Côte Rôtie Cote-Brune 2020 Domaine Jean-Michel Gerin

The Côte Rôtie Côte Brune 2020 from Domaine Jean-Michel Gerin is a more wintry, sappier Côte Rôtie than the domaine's other cuvées, made from a parcel planted by Jean-Michel Gerin and vinified separately for the first time in 2018. A Syrah from the Côte Brune, in the northern part of the appellation, grown on iron rich mica schist, it yields a sanguine, taut wine of great depth.

Terroir and vineyards

Two terroirs define Côte Rôtie: the Côte Brune to the north, with its iron rich mica schist, and the Côte Blonde to the south, composed of gneiss and clay sand soils known as arzels. The Côte Brune produces wines that are more powerful, darker and firmer, with a more virile character, a sanguine quality and tannins of great finesse. The Syrah vines, planted over thirty years ago by Jean-Michel Gerin on steep slopes, are farmed organically, certified since the 2023 vintage, and are harvested by hand and vinified parcel by parcel. As with the domaine's other Côte Rôtis, the cuvée is fully destemmed, macerated for several weeks, and aged for around twenty two months in barrels and demi muids, with a proportion of new wood adapted to the vintage.

Tasting profile

The colour is a deep red with violet reflections. The highly aromatic nose combines black fruit, blackcurrant and wild blackberry, violet, black olive, pepper, liquorice, smoke and a hint of iron. On the palate the wine is fleshy, sanguine and sappy, with firm yet silky tannins, a schist driven minerality and a freshness that keeps it in balance. The finish is long, saline and persistent.

The domaine

The Gerin family has been established in Ampuis, at the heart of Côte Rôtie, for six generations. Jean-Michel Gerin founded the domaine in 1983, with a first release in 1987, and his sons Michaël and Alexis now carry it forward. The estate, between twelve and twenty hectares, spans the Côte Rôtie, Condrieu and Saint Joseph appellations, with very classic, long lived cuvées that count among the finest expressions of Syrah from the northern Rhône valley.

Food and wine pairings

This Côte Rôtie pairs well with rack of lamb, leg of lamb, duck breast, a rib of beef with morels, game, or an aged cheese. Served at around 16 to 17 °C, after an hour in a decanter, it will drink well over the coming years and can keep for around fifteen years.